NZTA approves $3.2m for cycleway project

Auckland Transport said the funding decision is an important step for the project. Photo / Michelle Hyslop

The extension of the cycling network along the busy Dominion Road in Auckland has come one pedal rotation closer, with the New Zealand Transport Agency's approval to spend $3.2 million on the project.

The route will be built on less busy suburban streets that run parallel and adjacent to Dominion Road, one of Auckland's most crowded arterial links.

The agency's contribution makes up 53 per cent of the $6.1m project led by Auckland Transport to provide 5-and-a-half-kilometres of cycleway.

Key considerations behind the agency's decision to provide funding included the benefits the project would deliver in terms of safety and travel choices for people, NZTA Planning and Investment Group regional manager Peter Casey said.

"The Transport Agency is committed to reducing traffic congestion by providing options so that people don't have to rely on using cars," he said.

"The new routes will encourage more people to cycle. They will be available for less confident cyclists as an alternative to the more challenging Dominion Road, and by the large number of children living in the area."

Auckland Transport said the funding decision is an important step for the project.

"It's great that we can get work started on this project," Auckland Transport's community transport manager Matthew Rednall said.

Construction was due to start later this year.

The project included safety upgrades at intersections, improved lighting and signage, and construction of speed humps and islands to slow motorised traffic.